


Coffee

by keithkolame



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt Lance (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Insecurity, Lance (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Langst, M/M, Self-Doubt, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:13:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28851894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keithkolame/pseuds/keithkolame
Summary: Lance drinks "coffee" that Hunk made that causes him to not be able to lie. He has a mountain of hidden insecurities and an ocean of self-hatred to hide from them, which is not going to be easy. This is pretty much a repeat of all my other Langst fics but just a slightly different story. I didn't feel motivated to finish the last Langst story I started but I will eventually.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 82





	Coffee

Lance smelled coffee. Although, he was sure he was imagining it or that he was still partially dreaming. He sat up in his bed and took a deep breath. It was coffee. Definitely coffee. Lance would recognize the smell anywhere and he could immediately hear the echo of his friends’ laughter and the ambiance of a coffee shop. He could see sunlight streaming in through the windows onto the pale-yellow walls of his kitchen as his mom poured the coffee, humming a familiar tune he couldn’t quite place.

But the problem was, they were in space. And he hadn’t smelled coffee for months. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited as he threw on his clothes and brushed his teeth in an embarrassingly rushed fashion. Practically running toward the kitchen, he burst into the room. Apparently, he was early because it was just Hunk, standing over something on the counter with a proud look on his face.

“Hunk? Is that- Don’t tell me that’s-” Lance stumbled out.

“It’s not coffee, Lance, but it’s almost coffee,” Hunk said, a wide smile forming across his face. “I noticed you’ve been a little down lately. Well, really, that we all have. And I thought, you know, even though it’s small, it’s something.”

“Hunk, this is- How did you-?”

“Well, it’s not technically made from coffee beans per se, but it’s pretty damn close. I found them at the planet we landed at a few days ago but wasn’t sure if they’d really work so I didn’t want to say anything. But since you’re here, you get to try it first,” Hunk said, pouring him a cup and adding the closest they add to cream and sugar. 

Lance eagerly grabbed the cup, feeling excitement flood his blood instead of the usual anxiety. Excitement and anxiety are two of the same kind but damn does Lance miss feeling excited. He sipped, and time stopped. Yes, he was dramatic, but this was genuinely a game-changer. 

“Hunk. Our lord and savior, Hunk. We bow down to thee,” Lance said, taking another large sip. “This is incredible. I actually think it might be better than coffee.”

Hunk blushed and raised his arms in a dramatic gesture, pretending to be a king. 

“You have to taste this, Hunk,” Lance said, pushing the cup toward him.

“Taste what?” Allura asked, having just entered the kitchen. 

“Hunk made coffee!” Lance declared excitedly.

“Coffee?” questioned Allura. 

“It’s something humans drink, usually in the morning. It has caffeine which gives a boost of energy. Come to think of it, I wonder if the bean I used has the same properties. The vendor just said it was a popular purchase among their people and instructed me to turn it into a drink that sounded a whole lot like coffee,” Hunk explained.

“Hunk, do you remember the name of the bean?” Allura asked, her face suddenly pale. 

“I think it was ceefle or ceffil or something?” Hunk said. 

“The ceffil bean? Hunk was it the ceffil bean?” Allura asked. 

“Yes, yes that sounds right. Why?” Hunk asked slowly.

“Well the ceffil bean is commonly known as the truth bean. It makes it that so that, if ingested, that person can’t lie for a short period of time.”

Lance paled, having been silent through the whole exchange. He drank it, a good amount of it. He spoke but his mouth betrayed his mind.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Allura. After all, everyone knows I’d never be good enough for you and that I flirt with you to cover up my crippling self-doubt.”

Lance clamped a hand over his mouth. 

“Hunk, how strong did you make that?”

After determining that Hunk had, in fact, used a relatively high amount of beans in the coffee, Allura explained that a higher dose might lead to spouting random thoughts in addition to not being able to lie. And that with the dosage he'd taken it could last anywhere from a day to a week.

“Lance, I am so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I just wanted to give you back something from Earth,” Hunk said, tearfully.

“I know, Hunk. It’s not your fault. And honestly, it might have been worth it based on how incredible it tasted. Seriously, is there any way to get that taste without the same unpleasant effects?” Lance replied.

“Well, at least I know you aren’t lying,” Hunk said, cracking a smile. 

“I’ll just try to talk as little as possible. It’ll be fine.”

Hunk explained the predicament to the team and Lance managed to almost make it through breakfast with no major slip-ups by attempting to avoid speaking altogether. Almost. 

“Lance, I’m sorry this happened. Is there anything we can do, are you okay?” Pidge asked, a worried look on her face.

Lance opened his mouth to reply how he usually would to that question, but the words didn’t make it out. “No.”

“What?” said Pidge.

“No, I’m not okay,” Lance said, attempting to keep his mouth shut.

He pushed out his chair suddenly and fled from the table, knowing that if he stayed any longer that he’d reveal something he didn’t want the team to know. 

He went to hide out in an abandoned room on a floor no one ever visited, hoping to wait out the drink’s effects. Keith was the one who found him, saying that he visited this floor because it had a gym-like room complete with strange Altean work-out gear. Leave it to Keith to grow tired of their usual training. 

“So, Lance, I don’t want to pry and you can tell me to shut up, but the team is worried about you. Not just about what you said today. Just about you, in general.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, proud of himself for successfully getting the words from his brain to his mouth. 

“You’ve been… withdrawn. You don’t smile as much. You don’t joke as much or even talk as much. Or hardly at all, lately. Is there something going on?” Keith asked.

“Nothing’s going on, the team is just better when my presence is less. The team would be better off without me in general but I wouldn’t say that out loud,” Lance said. “Fuck, I said that out loud. That’s not fair, I have no choice but to tell the truth. Can we talk about this another time?”

“Well, now I know for a fact you won’t tell me the truth unless you’re filled with truth serum. Lance, we only want to help. Please, why do you think the team would be better without you? Because I’m going to have to firmly disagree with you on that one,” Keith replied, crossing his arms. 

“The answer to that should be obvious. I’m the weakest link. I always have been. I’m the one that’s only good to have around in case you need a sacrifice. I’m obnoxious, I ruin things, I’m useless, I’m stupid, I’m a bad person, I don’t deserve a spot on this team, I-” Lance cut himself off from the uncontrollable stream of words with a hand over his mouth.  
He gave Keith a look and ran from the room, not wanting to ruin things any more than he already had.


End file.
